Generally, in a wireless communications system, such as a cellular communications system, cell edge users (also known as users, mobiles, mobile stations, subscribers, etc., operating at or near an edge of a coverage area of a base station, also commonly referred to as a NodeB, enhanced NodeB, base terminal station, communications controller, cell, and so forth) may need to carefully control the transmit power level of their transmissions in order to limit interference in cells of close-by neighboring base stations. The transmit power level of the cell edge users may be set by the base station and/or the cell edge users themselves.
The control of the transmit power level may result in lower received signal powers at the base station than would otherwise be possible. As a consequence, the interference level for a sector/frequency band serving a cell edge user may need to be carefully kept low in order to assure adequate data rates.